We are currently in the middle of March so the NBA trade deadline has long passed and teams are now gearing up for the playoffs (or draft lottery, in some cases). Yet there is one huge rumor swirling through the grapevine: Will the Oklahoma City Thunder trade Kevin Durant?
Tom Penn, a former NBA executive and now ESPN’s analyst, raised some eyebrows when he suggested that the Thunder will trade Durant when he enters the final year of his contract next season. And to be honest, it makes a lot of sense. Now, before you start reaching for the pitchforks and what not, hear me out first.
The NBA is a business and as the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, general manager Sam Presti will (or at least he should) be listening to what the market is saying, then try to figure out whether he should or shouldn’t trade his star player.
And here are three reasons why he should let go of his biggest asset.
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1). Remember back in the 2009-10 season when LeBron James went through a similar situation as free agency creeped closer and closer? Remember the little game of cat and mouse that he played while everyone associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers practically begged him to stay? In the end, James wound up skipping town and leaving for the sunnier climes of Miami.
James ended up making four straight trips to the Finals and winning the two championships during his time in South Beach, meanwhile the Cavs went from having the best regular season record in 2009-10, to having the worst record in the Eastern Conference in 2010-11.
Even though they wound up getting Kyrie Irving, the losing continued, with the misery pilling on after every single loss.
Cleveland hasn’t had a taste of the playoffs since then, and it’s all because of LeBron James leaving them high and dry. Now imagine if he had been traded before it came to that? Granted, there’s no way in hell the Cavs would have received nearly enough compensation but at least it would have been something.
At least that way they could have acquired some assets to help them get back to winning ways.
Of course OKC is not as dependant on Durant as Cleveland was with James, but you can still see the similarities. This season alone, even with Russell Westbrook playing like a man possessed, the Thunder are still hovering above .500 without the reigning Most Valuable Player.
So from a business perspective, it does make sense for the Thunder to trade Kevin Durant, sort of like an insurance policy, if you will. Otherwise they risk losing him and gaining absolutely nothing in return.
2). Speaking of Westbrook, the point guard has been the leader of the team in Durant’s absence has played his way right into core of the MVP chatter.
He currently leads the NBA in scoring (27.3 points), is fourth in assists 8.3, is the third best rebounder who isn’t a center or power forward (7.1), plus he has seven triple-doubles, which is more than twice the amount of the next best player. You get the picture, he has been great, and a big reason for all this is the fact that he has had the ball in his hands … A LOT.
Westbrook is currently the leader when it comes to usage rate at 37.4 percent – on pace for third All-time.
The question now is what happens when Durant comes back? The obvious answer could be that he continues to be the leader of the team since he has a chance to be the MVP, but then again what happens in the playoffs, or even next season? Russ has had the chance to play Batman; he most likely won’t want to go back to playing Robin again.
As for Durant, there is no way in hell he will be happy playing second fiddle to anyone.
And that’s where the problems will start. He will be unhappy and unwilling to commit to OKC and will likely walk – leaving Thunder empty handed. Besides, we’ve seen it before where a team is prepared to part ways with their player via trade, a la Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers, and they managed to make it work with Kobe Bryant.
(I’m not saying Westbrook is the second coming of Kobe, or that either he or Durant is as outspoken as Shaq, but there are in a similar situation: two Alpha Males looking to take the leadership role).
3). Another question Presti has to ask himself is whether Durant is actually committed or not? Again, not questioning his loyalty or anything of the sort, but you have to wonder what his thinking is.
I mean, the allure of going to play for his hometown team who not only have the financial means, but also the talent to back it up, then there’s OKC decline as well as the financial incentives he could generate off the court.
John Wall is right in there in conversation as one of the best young point guards in the league, and he is seemingly still getting better, Bradley Beal is also making steps in the right direction, so they already have a solid foundation to build around.
Plus, considering how stacked the Western Conference is (let alone the rest of the NBA), it’s not too far-fetched to say the championship window is slowly but surely closing for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Furthermore, they haven’t been able to build on their successful run to the finals back in 2012, so perhaps the frustration and doubt is starting to creep into Kevin Durant’s mind. Maybe OKC is one of those franchises that are simply not meant to win a championship and perhaps a change of scenery will do the trick. It worked for LeBron when he went to Miami, why not Durant?
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As for the monetary incentives, Oklahoma City isn’t exactly a major market and Durant is starting to focus more on the business side of it all. Just look at the bidding war he created between Nike and Under Armour that resulted in an endorsement deal worth over $260million, as well as going with a high-profile sporting agency like Roc Nation Sports.
There’s already a frenzy to try and get his signature for marketing purposes, but can you imagine the kind of revenue he could generate by going home? His ‘people’ behind the scenes will certainly be making him well aware of that.
So because of his lack of willingness to commit long term just yet, the people in his ears creating more doubt and the potential drop we could see in the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sam Presti has to consider pulling the trigger and wave goodbye to his most prized asset.
Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time
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